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Cyprus Investment Funds Surge Amid Robust Private Equity Growth

Strong Growth In Cyprus Collective Investments

The Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) reported continued expansion in the collective investments sector, with assets under management reaching €11.4 billion in the third quarter of 2025. The figure represents a quarterly increase of 7.5%, reflecting stronger investor activity and shifts in asset allocation across multiple sectors.

Comprehensive Sector Overview

According to CySEC’s quarterly bulletin, regulators oversaw 312 management companies and collective investment undertakings during the period, compared with 323 a year earlier. The sector includes externally managed and internally managed UCIs, as well as external fund managers. The market structure comprised 46 AIFMs, 44 sub-threshold AIFMs, two UCITS management companies and three entities operating under dual licenses.

Asset Allocation And Investment Trends

Total assets under management were partitioned among various investment strategies: 63% by AIFMs, 17% by AIFMs and UCITS management companies jointly, 10% by UCITS management companies, 9% by sub-threshold AIFMs, and 1% from regulated UCIs managed by foreign fund managers. Within the UCITS segment, 85.8% of assets were directed toward transferable securities, while AIFs, AIFLNPs, and RAIFs notably invested 30.7% in private equity, 17% in real estate, and 14.5% in hedge funds.

Dominance Of Private Equity Investments

Private equity remains a core component of the sector’s portfolios. Multi-strategy capital accounted for 38.9% of private equity investments, followed by growth capital at 34.1% and venture capital at 16.9%. Mezzanine financing represented 0.5%. Additional exposure included equity capital, fixed income, cash and cash equivalents, infrastructure and commodities, each contributing smaller shares to overall allocations.

Regional Investment Focus And Sectoral Exposure

Approximately 69.7% of assets were held within 205 UCIs domiciled in Cyprus, including 11 UCITS, 51 AIFs, 40 AIFLNPs and 103 RAIFs. Of the 230 UCIs in operation, 165 invested at least partially in Cyprus, totaling more than €2.8 billion, or nearly one-quarter of total assets under management. Within these investments, 71.1% were directed toward private equity projects, while 12.8% were allocated to real estate.

Investor Demographics And Sector Specific Investments

Investor profiles differ across fund types. The UCITS segment remains predominantly retail-driven, with retail investors accounting for 99.2% of participants, totaling 8,727 individuals. In contrast, AIFs, AIFLNPs and RAIFs attracted a more diversified investor base, including 64.7% well-informed investors, 26% professional investors and 9.4% retail investors.

Sector-specific allocations included €471.6 million in energy, €106.9 million in fintech, €581.8 million in shipping and €97.9 million in sustainable investments.

An Evolving Landscape

The latest figures underscore a robust expansion of Cyprus’ collective investments sector. With private equity leading the charge, these developments not only emphasize strategic shifts in asset allocation but also highlight Cyprus’ growing prominence as a critical hub for global investment activities.

payabl. Launches Click To Pay With Visa To Help Merchants Improve Checkout Conversion And Reduce Fraud

payabl. has launched Click to Pay with Visa, a new card payment experience designed to help merchants reduce checkout friction, improve authorisation rates, and deliver a faster, more secure online payment journey.

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Click to Pay replaces manual card number entry with a token-based checkout experience. Once a customer’s card is enrolled, they can complete purchases in just a few clicks, without re-entering card details. The result is a faster checkout that mirrors the ease of contactless payments in-store, while maintaining strong security standards.

For merchants, the impact is measurable. According to Visa, Click to Pay can deliver up to a 11% uplift in authorisation rates compared to manual card entry, alongside significant fraud reduction through network tokenisation. Faster checkout also helps reduce cart abandonment, particularly on mobile, where typing card details remains a major source of friction.

“With online checkout, every extra step costs conversion,” said Breno Oliveira, Chief Product Officer at payabl. “Visa Click to Pay removes one of the biggest points of friction at the moment of purchase. It helps merchants approve more legitimate transactions, reduce fraud exposure, and give customers the experience they already expect.” 

Visa Click to Pay is available through payabl. checkout, enabling merchants to activate the service without additional integration complexity. The solution works across devices and supports existing security flows, including 3D Secure where required.

“Consumers have come to expect a highly personalised, intuitive, and seamless payment experience, whether they’re buying a coffee, shopping online, or applying for a loan. Visa Click to Pay aims to meet these expectations by removing the need to manually enter card details, thus enhancing both security and the consumer experience in online card payments. With the support of network tokens, Visa Click to Pay enabled a more secure and smoother transaction process, available in many countries around the world. According to European VisaNet data, Visa Click to Pay may allow a 4.5% uplift in merchant sales, meaning a possible annual increase of €51 bn in SMB eCommerce sales in the UK and EU,” said Michael Ioannides, Country Manager, Visa Cyprus.

The launch forms part of payabl.’s broader focus on checkout optimisation, helping merchants improve conversion, approvals, and payment reliability at scale. Click to Pay with Visa is now live for eligible merchants across Europe. 

Checkout expectations are rising across Europe 

Insights from payabl.’s State of European Checkouts report underline why frictionless checkout experiences are becoming a commercial priority. The research found that consumers cite speed (46%), convenience (44%), and security (41%) as the top reasons for choosing a payment method. More than half of consumers (53%) are open to switching to newer payment methods and nearly half (48%) are open to one-click checkouts, provided the solution is backed by a trusted brand such as Visa.

“Checkout is no longer just the final step of a transaction,” said Oliveira. “It is a critical part of the overall customer experience. Our research shows that 43% of European consumers will not return to a site after a poor checkout experience. For merchants across the UK and Europe, that translates directly into lost customers and lost revenue.”

The launch forms part of payabl.’s broader focus on checkout optimisation, helping merchants improve conversion, approvals, and payment reliability at scale. Click to Pay with Visa is now live for eligible merchants across Europe.

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